McGuinness warns McCartney sisters

Paula McCartney, the sister of murder victim Robert McCartney, packs for a trip to New York's St Patrick's Day parade. Photo: Paul Faith / PA

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness last night warned the family of IRA murder victim Robert McCartney not to be used as political pawns as they prepared to meet George Bush at the White House.

The party's chief negotiator said the campaign to bring the killers to justice could be left open to political manipulation.

Seeming rattled by the crisis engulfing Sinn Féin, he told BBC Radio Ulster: "The McCartneys need to be very careful. To step over that line, which is a very important line, into the world of party political politics, can do a huge disservice to their campaign.

"In fact, it can dismay and disillusion an awful lot of people, tens of thousands of people who support them in their just demands."

The Fine Gael frontbencher Brian Hayes told the Irish state broadcaster RTE that Mr McGuinness's "warning was as menacing as the earlier IRA offer to shoot [the suspects]".

Mr McGuinness later denied that he warned the McCartneys to back off their campaign or their plans to enter the political arena as one of the sisters considered standing against Sinn Féin in the general election.

He said: "What I was cautioning against was them being manipulated by others for ulterior and party political purposes. As was seen by the actions of the PSNI [Police Service of Northern Ireland] today."

He said the police had rejected the offer of an eyewitness statement from a crucial witness and the opportunity to interview a key suspect, adding: "Politics rather than justice is driving the PSNI investigation."

A PSNI spokesman said: "Police refute the distractions which have been peddled. Our sole interest is to bring to justice the killers of Robert McCartney and bring closure for the family."

Last night it emerged that one of the chief suspects in the Robert McCartney murder inquiry is to be questioned by detectives. A solicitor for the man, one of three expelled by the IRA over the Belfast pub brawl killing, contacted police yesterday.

It is believed investigating officers plan to interview him at a later date over allegations that he was heavily involved in the attack in Magennis's Bar.

So far police have questioned 11 people over the killing, including another senior Provisional dismissed from the organisation because of his suspected involvement.

The Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, speaking in New York on a US tour, yesterday admitted his disappointment at being snubbed by the White House, which has invited Mr Adams to attend St Patrick's Day celebrations since 1995 but chose to invite Mr McCartney's sisters instead.

But he said he remained convinced the Bush administration was fully committed to the peace process. "Do I interpret that as a movement by this administration away from the peace process? No I don't. And if I did, I would be very, very perturbed."

Further cracks had appeared in US backing when Senator Edward Kennedy cancelled talks with Mr Adams, citing "the IRA's ongoing criminal activity and contempt for the rule of law".

He added: "Sinn Féin cannot be a fully democratic party with the IRA albatross around its neck. The time for decisive and final action is long overdue."

Sinn Féin has been battered by claims that the IRA was behind a huge bank robbery in December and the murder of Mr McCartney in Belfast six weeks ago.

It emerged yesterday that a second Sinn Féin election candidate was in Magennis's bar in Belfast on the night of the killing. Deirdre Hargey, 23, who is running in the May council elections, confirmed she was in the bar when police arrived after the knife attack on January 30. She denied seeing the brawl that led to the attack or any violence outside.

Cora Groogan, a Sinn Féin candidate in the Stormont assembly elections in 2003, said this weekend she was in the pub and had given a statement to her solicitor.

Mr McCartney's family will travel to the US today. "People over there may have a romantic vision, but they are not stupid people," Catherine McCartney said. "If we can get to meet them and tell them our story I don't see there's any reason to doubt us on it."

The former US envoy Richard Haass yesterday warned that the Sinn Féin leader risked becoming a pariah, drawing comparisons with Yasser Arafat.